Process for refining and decolorizing mineral wax.



EDGAR cARL WALTHER .AD'OLF voN BOYEN, or BARMSTEDT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY MEsn ASSIGNMENTS, To 'rnE FIRM or WACHS UNI) cERosmwERKE zu HAMBURG, J. scHLIcKUM a 00., or HAMBURG, GERMANY.

PRdQI'lSS FOR REFINING AND DECOLORIZING MINERAL WAX.

noaacae.

To all, whomit may concern.

Be it known that I, EDGAR CARL WALTHER A OLF VON BOYEN, a subject of the German Emperor, residingat Barmstedt, Prussia, Germany, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Befimng and Decolorizing Mineral Wax, of

, raw mineral wax "above described is melted by the application ofheat thereto and a suitablequantity 'of'nitric acid is added to the melted wax. During this operation the resinous substances contained in the raw wax are oxidized by combination with the oxygen of the nitric acid, and are partly precipitated in the form of a black, insoluble mass. The wax is not attacked by the nitric acid and may be separated from the precipitated oxidized resins by decantation.

In order to completely separate the resinous substances from the wax,'the raw wax which has beentreated with nitric acid as above described, is mixed with paraflin. For this purpose, the paraffin is added to thehot raw wax which has been treated with nitric acid. By this means the precipitation -of the oxidized resins is completely effected, as the latter are totally insoluble paralfin, and an addition, at the most, of 50% of paraffin is sufficient to entirely precipitate the oxidized resins. During this operation the precipitate of insoluble resins obtained isof reddish brown color, while the liquid mixture of mineral wax and paraffin at the top is of yellow or light orange color.- The wax product so obtained may be utilized inthisstate for various technical purposes,

In order to purify thewax mass obtained according to the above described operations Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing. Application filed Mom-15,1910, Serial No. 587,346.

Patented Apr. a, min.

so as to obtain a perfectly colorless wax, the wax mass is treated with sulfuric acid in an amount up to about and a decolorizer consisting of a mixture of a hydrous silicate and pulverized carbon. The latter substances possess the power of absorbing the color-giving substances of the wax, whilethe sulfuric acid carbonizes any asphalt-like constituentscontained in the wax mass.

The wax which has been purified according to the above method is of course still mixed with the paraffin previously added thereto and which must be removed for the purpose of obtaining a pure wax. This can be effected by subjecting the wax mixture to a pressure of about to 100 atmospheres in hydraulic hot-presses, in which the wax mass is heated to a temperature of -60 (1., whereby the paraflin, having a low melt ing point, is melted and pressed out; the

operation is continued until no more paraffin can be pressed out from the wax mass. The hard wax mass being thus made free of paraflin, is melted and after being molded into a suitable form, is then ready for the market. If merely a yellow or slightly yellow wax is required, the above-described addition of paraffin may be entirely omitted,

and in this case the crude mineral wax which has been treated with nitric acid is refined by means ofthe treatment with sulfuric acid are oxidized, mixing the wax so treated with paraffin, and separating the wax and paraflin from the precipitated oxidized resins.

2. Process of refining crude mineral wax obtained from lignite, which comprises melting the crude wax, adding nitric acid to the melted. wax, whereby the resins contained in the mass are oxidized, 'separatingthe crude waxfrom those resins which are precipitated by the treatment'with nitric acid, mixing the wax so treated with paraffin, and separating the mixture of wax and parafiin from the precipitated oxidized resins.

3. Process of refining crude mineral wax Renewed March 2, 1914. Serial No.

obtained from lignite, which consists in first treating the crude wax with nitric acid, whereby the resins containedin the mass are oxidized, then mixingthe wax so treated with paraflin, separating the mix-- ture ofwax and paraffin from the precipitated oxidized resins, and then treating the" .wax so treated with paraffin, separating the mixture of wax and paraffin from'the precipitated oxidized resins, then treating the said mixture with sulfuric acid and a decolorizing agent, and separating the paraflin from the wax by subjecting the mass to pressure and melting out the said parafiin.

5. Process of refining crude mineral wax obta ned from lignite, which consists in first melting the crude wax, adding nitric acid to the melted wax, whereby the resinscontained in the mass are oxidized, separating the crude wax from those resins which are precipitated by the treatment with nitric acid, then mixing the wax so treated with about 50% of paraffin until all of the oxidized resins are precipitated, then separating the mixture of wax and paraffin having a yellowish color from the precipitated oxidized resins, then treating the wax and paraflin with sulfuric acid and a decolorizing mixture consisting of a hydrous silicate and pulverized carbon, and then subject-' ing the purified mixture of wax and paraflin to high pressure and heating the same to 55'60 G. whereby the paraflin is melted out and separated from the wax.

6. The process of refining crude mineral wax obtained from lignite, which comprisesfirst treating the crude wax with nitric acid, separating the resulting oxidlzed resins, and

then treating the resulting product with sulfuric acid and a deodorizing agent.

In testimony whereof I aflix. my slgnature in presence of two witnesses.

- EDGAR CARL WALTHER ADOLF VON BOYEN.

.Witnesses:

Gus'rxvr: WEBER, ERNEST H. L. YMUMMENHOFF. 

